National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Seriake Dickson, has commended President Bola Tinubu for initiating the process of establishing state police, describing it as a significant step toward decentralising Nigeria’s policing system.
Speaking on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, Dickson supported the proposal but cautioned against rushing its implementation. He argued that the Federal Government should prioritise tackling terrorism, violent crime and other pressing security challenges before introducing the new policing structure.
The former Bayelsa State governor said state police should be implemented only after adequate planning, broad consultations and the necessary constitutional and institutional groundwork have been completed, suggesting the next administration could oversee the reform.
Dickson also called for broader constitutional restructuring, saying decentralisation should extend beyond policing to include mineral rights. He argued that granting states greater control over their natural resources would strengthen Nigeria’s federal system and promote resource control.
“I commend the move to decentralise policing, but we should also decentralise mineral rights. That’s what we call resource control,” he said.
